Servco Pacific, a co-majority owner of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (Fender), continued its $1.5 million Centennial Service Campaign with a donation of musical instruments and services valued at nearly $500,000 to 55 public schools across Hawaii. The donation of 2,000 Fender ukuleles, 750 Fender acoustic guitars, soft cases, and one-year subscriptions to Fender Play will benefit over 8,500 local elementary through high school students.
“Music education is crucial for the creative engagement of our haumana, which positively impacts learning across content areas,” said Dr. Christina Kishimoto, superintendent of the Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE). “Mahalo to Servco for their generous donation that will help to provide students with an outlet for artistic expression. Now, even more current and future students will be able to explore and pursue their passion or curiosity for music.”
Mark Fukunaga, Chairman & CEO of Servco and Co-Chairman of Fender, presents Dr. Christina Kishimoto, Superintendent of HIDOE, with her own Fender ukulele (not part of the 2,000 donated to the public schools yesterday).
“We know there’s a strong correlation between arts education and improved literacy skills in the classroom. We hope these resources will allow our teachers to use the arts as another tool to build a better academic and social future for our students,” said Mark Fukunaga, chairman & CEO of Servco Pacific, and co-chairman of Fender. “We also hope to inspire a life-long love of music and that students will continue to play well into the future.”
Earlier in the year, Servco worked with HIDOE to invite all public and charter schools to apply to receive musical instruments, with the primary requirement that the schools designate a teacher to implement and sustain a music curriculum during or after school. Servco and the Fender Play Foundation fulfilled 100% of the requests that were received.
Ukulele and acoustic guitar donations by island:
- Kauai: 110 ukuleles & 37 guitars
- Oahu: 1,079 ukuleles & 362 guitars
- Maui: 140 ukuleles & 41 guitars
- Molokai: 190 ukuleles and 90 guitars
- Hawaii Island: 481 ukuleles & 220 guitars
Servco Pacific and the Fender Play Foundation launched the musical instrument donation program on Oahu with a series of surprise concerts from Na Hoku Hanohano award winning music duo Ben & Maila at three schools across Oahu. Nanakuli Elementary, Campbell High School, and Farrington High School students and teachers enjoyed pop-up shows and instrument deliveries throughout the school day.
“It was incredible to see the excitement on the students’ faces,” said Lisa Higa, principal at Nanakuli Elementary. “What a great way to start the new school year; with brand new instruments and music resources.”
The new instrument distribution continued with an evening ceremony and kanikapila at Bishop Museum, where students and teachers from all of the recipient schools on Oahu were able to enjoy food and more live entertainment while picking up their new musical instruments.
Servco took a co-majority ownership in Fender back in 2012 and has a long history of being in the musical instrument business, dating back to its previous ownership of the Easy Music Center. The $500,000 musical instrument donation is part of Servco’s $1.5 million giving campaign to celebrate their 100th anniversary.
For more information on Servco’s centennial celebrations, please visit www.servco.com/100.
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About Servco Pacific
Celebrating its 100-year anniversary in 2019, Servco Pacific Inc. is Hawaii’s largest privately held company with over $1.8 billion in annual revenues and 2,000 team members spanning Australia, Hawaii, and California. Founded in 1919 (as a two-car repair garage), Servco is now a diversified business with operations in automotive distribution & retail, car sharing, appliance distribution & retail, and capital investments. Through our businesses, we help steward world-class brands including Toyota, Lexus, Subaru, Fender, Harley-Davidson, Hui and General Electric. Servco is one of the Top 20 largest automotive dealer groups based in the U.S. and has been recognized as one of the “Best Places to Work in Hawaii” for 15 consecutive years. For additional information, visit www.servco.com.
About Fender Play Foundation
Established in 2019, the Fender Play Foundation uses the power of music to inspire and unite humanity across cultural and geographic borders. On a mission to equip, educate and inspire young players, Fender Play Foundation works with organizations, educators and artists to support communities through equipment donations, personalized instruction and artist experiences. Operating under the belief that music is a universal language that empowers self-expression and community-building everywhere, the Fender Play Foundation strives to place these powerful tools in the hands of youth who aspire to play.